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Mali Presidential elections 2013: Ibrahim Boubacar Keita takes the lead as vote count continues
Preliminary results collated by journalists in polling stations gave a clear early lead to former premier Ibrahim Boubacar Keita (IBK) in Mali’s presidential elections, sparking celebrations among his supporters early Monday.
The unofficial projections, based on the accounts of reporters watching counts across the country, suggest that 69-year-old Keita, could even cause an upset and win the first round outright.
Analysts have characterized the election as a “two horse race”, with Keita a frontrunner alongside Soumaila Cisse, 63, a former finance minister and erstwhile chairman of the Commission of the West African Economic and Monetary Union.
Thousands of Keita’s supporters massed on his party headquarters in the capital Bamako, as news of his apparent lead was broadcast on local radio, eye-witnesses at the scene reported.
“IBK — the man we need”, they chanted. One supporter shouted: “It is the people who have spoken!”
A fast-growing crowd also gathered at Keita’s home and convoys of cars circulated, horns blaring in an celebration at what his supporters were calling victory.
Voting in the presidential elections took place without incident, despite threats ahead of the polls by an armed Islamist group with links to al-Qaeda. Independent Malian election observers reported a strong turnout in the south.
In the northern regions occupied by Tuareg separatist movement and Islamic extremists for much of last year, the vote was supervised by UN peacekeepers, the Malian army and African Union soldiers.
Source: AFP